Engineering and Physical Sciences outreach and schools activities

From passenger jets to space missions, aerospace engineering deals with the things – from ideas to applications – needed to allow us to move above the Earth. This includes fundamental aerodynamics, fluid flow and mechanics, through design and power systems, all the way to the relevant legal regulations

Facts:

In 2016, civil aviation was responsible for transporting 3.8 billion travellers worldwide. The number of passengers is expected to grow at a rate of 3.7% every year, doubling by 2035. Space transport is also becoming increasing important.

Aerospace Engineering might be for you if you:

• Have an interest in the mechanics and materials involved in flight – for civil and military aviation or space travel
• Enjoy solving technical problems and challenges
• Like finding solutions to real problems

Possible careers:

Graduates gain skills required to successfully join the aeronautical and space industries but also the wider engineering sector where many of the skills and knowledge developed in the degree programme will be relevant.

Useful links:

• Aerospace Engineering BEng
• Aerospace Engineering MEng
• Materials Science and Engineering at Birmingham

Chemical engineering is basically applied chemistry – chemistry combined with engineering. It is a kind of engineering which studies the formulation of products such as pharmaceuticals, energy foods and petrochemicals, and the way they are produced, packages and delivered to their final destination.

Facts:

Chemical engineering is one of the best-paying professions in the UK.

Chemical Engineering might be for you if you:

• Like studying chemistry, mathematics and preferably physics
• Are interested in how certain products can be mass produced to the benefit of millions of people
• Want to explore new technologies and be part of the fast growing alternative fuels industry

Real world research:

• Development of alternative fuels and energy including hydrogen powered cars
• Designing foods which taste great, but have lower salt or fat content than traditional varieties
• Discovering new ways to repair and regenerate damaged tissues in the human body

Possible careers:

Our graduates will typically work in the chemical industry for companies such as Shell, BP, Cadbury, Esso, AstraZeneca and Unilever.

Useful links:

• Why Not Chem Eng?
• This Matters – Healthcare Technologies
• Discover Chemical Engineering at Birmingham

Civil Engineering deals with designing, building and maintaining all kinds of structures – roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, skyscrapers and water supplies. Civil engineers solve real-life problems to benefit us as we go about our daily lives.

Facts:

Our students spend a week on a construction site building a scale model of an iconic structure – they rate is as one of the best experiences in their degree programme!

Civil Engineering might be for you if you:

• Like to find solutions to real problems
• Enjoy designing things
• Want to improve the world we live in

Real world research:

• Pioneering sustainable cities, improving infrastructure and the environment
• Mapping the underworld to detect underground infrastructure, reducing unnecessary road works and saving money
• Improving water monitoring for safe, clean water
• The future of railways

Our former students work in construction, structural, transport and environmental engineering, in railways, energy and water management, and they can be found in nearly every country in the world.

Useful links:

• This Matters – Gravity Sensors
• Discover Civil Engineering at Birmingham

We are surrounded by technology; from streetlights to mobile phones, from microwaves to computers and from washing machines to cars, they affect every aspect of our modern lives. It is electronic and electrical engineers who develop these devices, who make the labour-saving gadgets and who make machines think.

Electronic and Electrical Engineering might be for you if you:

• Like understanding how technology works and how science can impact the world
• Have a good understanding of physics and mathematics

Facts:

Electronic and Electrical Engineering, is an exceptionally broad subject. It sits between Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Psychology, Materials Science, Education, Biological and Medical Sciences, with interfaces to many other areas of engineering such as transportation systems, renewable energy systems and the built environment.

Real world research:

• Pioneering the development of Virtual and Augmented Realities to aid the recovery of patients in hospital, recreate historic sites and artefacts, and support military trauma response training.
• Developing radar sensors for vehicles which will help to avoid traffic congestion and improve safety

Possible careers:

Our former students work in areas such as electronics, telecommunications, gaming technology, and aerospace.

Find out more

• Discover Electrical Engineering at Birmingham

Materials engineers work to create and refine new materials that will allow us to change the world. They use their deep knowledge of how materials work to improve things – modifying an existing material, creating an entirely new material, or optimise the way a material is made – and then see the results.

Facts:

Materials engineering is a relatively new discipline. Borne out of the need to understand and create materials with specific properties to support new science and technologies, Materials Engineers work alongside designers and engineers of every discipline. They enjoy exceptionally high employment prospects as a result.

Materials Engineering might be for you if you:

• Are inquisitive
• Enjoy understanding the world
• Like studying chemistry, mathematics and physics

Real world research:

• We are working with the European Space Agency to develop a 3D printer that works in microgravity. In future this could be used to make new metal parts on board the International Space Station!
• Working with industry and academic partners across Europe we are developing a new, more efficient manufacturing process for rare earth magnetic materials. These materials are used in many everyday objects such as mobile phones and hard drive drives.

Possible careers:

Our former students work in areas such as aerospace, energy, automotive and medical industry.

Useful links:

• This Matters – Critical Materials
• Discover Materials Engineering at Birmingham
• ‘Stuff Matters’ – College of Engineering at Physical Sciences Christmas Lecture with Prof Mark Miodownik

Mechanical engineering deals with anything that moves from machines to satellites, from power plants to pacemakers, and from seismographs to robots. Mechanical engineers apply mathematics and science to model and design efficient solutions to real problems

Facts:

Each year our students design and build a racing car and participate in the Formula Student competition.

Mechanical Engineering might be for you if you:

• Are inquisitive
• Like finding solutions to real problems
• Interested in how engines work
• Like designing things

Real world research:

• The Vehicle and Engine Technology Research Centre works closely with UK industry in engine architecture and advanced engine technologies, helping to design the engines and fuels for the future; including hybrid powertrains.

Possible careers:

Our former students work for companies such as JCB, BP, Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Cadbury and the BBC, in sectors such as automotive, oil and gas, aerospace and medical equipment.

Useful links:

Discover Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham

Railway engineering deals with railway infrastructure, traction and energy, railway management, timetabling and control to meet the demands of a growing industry. Engineers who understand railway infrastructure and systems are in high demand as the industry expands around the world.

Facts:

The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education is the largest university-based railway research group in Europe.
We have our own full-size train simulator, built by staff and students at the University – you can drive a train between Birmingham New Street to Selly Oak stations!

Railway Engineering might be for you if you:

• Want to work in a booming and increasingly significant engineering sector
• Want to gain a specific insight into the railway industry before starting your graduate career
• Enjoy maths and design
• Have an interest in railways and transport in general

Real world research:

• We are revolutionising the future of rail – the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education is part of a £92million partnership between universities and industry where we will lead on development of digital systems for the railway.
• Our aerodynamics research aims to improve fuel consumption of trains and increase their stability in high winds.

Possible careers:

Railway engineering graduates can find employment in a variety of areas, across the Railway sector and engineering in general.

Useful links:

Discover Railway Engineering at Birmingham

Chemists are essential – they invent everything from new medicines to new materials. Everything around us is made up of infinitesimally small particles known as atoms. Chemists seek to understand how the behaviour of a material is influence by the way different atoms are arranged together in the material.

Facts:

The School of Chemistry is based in the Haworth Building, which is named after Sir Norman Haworth, who was Head of Department at Birmingham between 1925 and 1948. He was one of the UK’s greatest Chemists; he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1937 for his ground-breaking research into Vitamin C and carbohydrates.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to another former Head of Department, Sir Fraser Stoddart, for his contribution to the chemistry of molecular machines.

Chemistry might be for you if you:

• Want to understand the world around you
• Help address global issues
• Improve healthcare provision
• Carry out fundamental research in science
• Enjoy solving problems and understanding complex processes

Real world research:

• Developing a ‘smart insulin’ delivery services for type 1 diabetes sufferers
• Investigating hydrogen fuel cells as a potential future energy source

Useful links:

• Discover Chemistry at Birmingham
• ChemBam
• Sir Fraser Stoddart – Nobel Prize lecture 'The Nature of the Mechanical Bond : From Molecules to Machines' (YouTube)

Computers are a core part of our lives, and virtually everything has a connection to computing now. Computer scientists are responsible for creating and developing huge internet-based programs such as Google and Facebook, designing new computer games and creating software for medical imaging, among many other things.

Facts:

The Security and Privacy Group in the School of Computer Science is recognised as an EPSRC/GCHQ Academic Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity Research.

Computer Science might be for you if you:

• Like working with computing systems and programming
• Enjoy problem solving and working out how to do things in different ways

Real world research:

• Developing autonomous robots that learn how to act intelligently and independently in real-world environments while understanding 3D space and how this chance over time.
• Investigating cyber security and privacy issues that affect everyone as we live in an increasingly technology-dependent world.

Possible careers:

Our graduates are employed by major companies in industry, including Apple, Expedia, Goldman Sachs, Google, GCHQ, JP Morgan, Sony, PwC, Rolls Royce and the European Space Agency. T

hey work in roles such as software application developers and engineers, games developers, robotics engineers, artificial intelligence, financial computing analyst, security software engineers and web designers.

Useful links:

• Discover Computer Science at Birmingham

From the analysis of financial markets to modelling a brain tumour’s rate of change, from earthquake prediction to building aeroplanes, there is one common theme – mathematics. Mathematics is all about solving problems rather than just doing calculations. As you progress in mathematics the reasoning becomes more important than simply getting the right answer.

Facts:

Former academic members of staff in the Department of Mathematics Physics, Professor David Thouless and Professor Mike Kosterlitz were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2016. Their research in topology, which paved the way for quantum computers and other technologies was first published when they worked at the University in 1973.

Mathematics might be for you if you:

• Like solving problems and puzzles
• Enjoy investigating trends and identifying patterns
• Like formulating strategies and models

Real world research: (include links to research pages)

• Pioneering research into sperm which could lead to a cut in infertility rates
• Investigating the generalised max-plus eigenproblem to increase efficiency of industrial processes

Possible careers:

Our former students often work in finance, management, accounting, market research, actuarial science, civil service or for the government.

Useful links:

Discover Mathematics at Birmingham

Physics is a science that addresses some of the deepest questions of how the Universe works. It looks at how and why things behave as they do. Matter and how it interacts with energy is studied. Physics deals with matter of all sizes from particles smaller than an atom to the whole Universe.

Facts:

On 14 September 2015 astrophysicists observed ripples in the fabric of space-time called gravitational waves, arriving at the Earth from a cataclysmic event of two black holes colliding in the distant Universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity and opens a new window onto the cosmos.

Our astrophysics researchers were amongst the team that detected these waves!

Physics and Astronomy might be for you if you:

• Like to know how things work
• Have a natural curiosity about the world around you
• Think logically
• Enjoy using mathematics in real-world situations

Real world research:

• Discovering a brand new heavy particle at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider – Xi-cc++
• Mapping the coordinates of more than 23,000 atoms in an iron-platinum nanoparticle to identify how flaws in the material structure at atomic level can affect its properties and functions.
• Listening to the music of the sun to investigate changes in magnetic activity
• The effects of space weather on modern technology such as power supplies and GPS satellite navigation systems

Possible careers:

Physics opens the door of a wide range of careers. Some of our graduates apply physics knowledge directly in a scientific environment but many also work in areas as diverse as the Civil Service, the financial sector or developing software. Many of our graduates stay on to do further study.

Useful links:

• Discover Physics and Astronomy at Birmingham
• Gravitational Waves animation (YouTube)
• 2016 Physics Nobel Prize lecture (YouTube)

Students and staff from the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences take part in events organised by the wider university.

To complement the events organised at School and College levels, our academics also take part in a wide variety of events organised by the central university Outreach and Recruitment and Public Engagement teams, designed to inspire and inform people about our subjects and about university

University Outreach and Recruitment

The University Outreach and Recruitment teams undertake a wide range of activities, including subject masterclasses, and provide resources for teachers, careers advisers and parents supporting students in making decisions about their future and preparing for University. Please visit the preparing for University page for more details.

Public Engagement with Research and other campus events

The University of Birmingham campus hosts a wide range of public events and activities throughout the year, many related to STEM subjects.